Fall 2009 - In This Issue
Real-Time Relationships
Brand Confusion at Starbucks....a lesson
Blogs - Keep Your Eye on Your Revenue Sources
Client Spotlight: Skin PS
Tips for non-profits...get your message across to the community
Real-Time Relationships
How can we continue to build our brand as a creative agency and not be up to speed on social marketing for ourselves, and not be progressive and flexible in our thinking for clients? That's a lot to digest, but we are diving in with great excitement.
In July, we had a chance to express our ideas about Twitter, LinkedIn, Blogs and the like in an interview for Inland Empire's Metro Business Magazine called "Does Your Business Need to Twitter?" This gave us a chance to discuss technology, personality and the many ever-changing channels for relationship-building, communicating, marketing, branding and most importantly...listening!
It's no surprise we've been active in Linked-In - it's professional and business-oriented and helps increase visibility by adding connections with people who colleagues know and trust. It can also improve your search engine page ranking by making your profile available for search engines to index.
Blogs are exciting because they provide text, photos, and links to other blogs, website pages and other media like video. We've been following blogs and are finding our niche. We'll be blogging about industry specific topics, happenings in our community, links and ultimately inspiring thought, creativity and conversation. Look for us on our blog.
Whatever social media you or your business adopts, don't underestimate the value in building and maintaining relationships face to face.
Brand Confusion at Starbucks....a lesson
Remarkably, the most successful products and services tend to be either high in experience or high in convenience -- one or the other, but not both. In fact, products attempting to be both typically end up with a confused brand, like if McDonald's tried to do gourmet meals.
Starbucks created a great brand after a decade of being something special - Exotic coffee and warm experience in their stores. Then they decided to offer their special highly sought after coffee everywhere...counters at grocery stores and in every strip mall off freeway exits. They realized a drop in profits when clientele stopped believing they were so special and could be found as easily as a McDonalds.
When Howard Schultz bought Starbucks from its founders in 1987, he wanted Starbucks stores to have "a taste of romance" and be "an oasis -- a small escape during a day when so many other things are beating you down," Schultz recalled. The coffee had to be special, and the rituals of ordering - the ordering of half-caf skinny double lattes--were at first intriguing and luxurious. Eventually they became a cultural touchstone. With Starbucks on the scene, it suddenly seemed boring to walk into a deli or a Dunkin' Donuts and just order coffee with cream and sugar.
There was essentially nothing convenient about Starbucks. You had to travel to find one (in the early days), wait in line, and pay extravagant prices for a product you could make at home or in the office for relatively nothing. But that didn't matter. Schultz had a great brand, good product and experience. Few businesses executed high loyalty in their product so well. And that is why the Starbucks brand exploded in the late 1990s.
In 2008 there were 16,226 Starbucks stores worldwide, and the CEO was still convinced that Starbucks could be everywhere and still be special. For Starbucks, excessive convenience dragged down the brand and made it commonplace.
Most people know this feeling instinctively. When anything -- a brand, a rock band, a style of clothing -- becomes popular with a huge mass market, the cool people increasingly find it uncool, and look for something new.
--Adapted from Trade-Off: Why Some Things Catch On, and Others Don't, by Kevin Maney, published this month by Broadway Books
Blogs - Keep Your Eye on Your Revenue Sources
According to Forrester Research, marketing budgets shrank 20% or more in the last year. Chances are, yours probably has, too. So, if you can't spend the big bucks anymore, you might want to consider reaching potential clients through a much less expensive method: the online message board.
These tips will help you get started on crafting efficient and effective message board comments:
Every word counts. Make sure the content you post – whether as comments on message boards or content on your own blog and Web site – uses the most heavily-searched keywords by those looking for your particular type of business, service or product. That way, when your customer base searches for something related to your business, they may stumble upon your comment and from there to your website and business (tip: be sure to include your URL in every comment, subtly).
Similarly, when you are looking for relevant places to post comments, look for sites related to your industry that have high search rankings to ensure your comments will actually be read by those that might be interested in what you have to offer.
Your time is money, so post and moderate wisely. Set aside a modest amount of time each week (two hours, perhaps) to finding blogs and online business journals that will be relevant to your company's marketing message. Contribute personalized content that shows you are a real person with unique expertise within your specific industry, and not a potential spammer. For example, if you own a computer retail shop, you need to go beyond finding a news article about a new piece of technology that you sell and then posting a comment along the lines of "We have the lowest prices on computers in town!" Instead, react to the content and give your opinion - as a technology expert - of the product and how well you think it works alongside a very brief description of your company and what you do. This description of your business will help not only introduce your company but also show others why you really know what you're talking about so they will be more likely to look for you and even buy from you.
Aim every comment at potential clients. Even though your business blog and any comments you leave on message boards will be read by a combination of other competing business owners, current clients, potential clients and those that won't be a good fit for your services or products, creating content that speaks to your future revenue providers is important because everything you do related to marketing needs to be designed to attract more steady clients. Write informative posts that speak to your potential clients' biggest business problems and the fears they have. No matter what, keep your comments short and to the point and make sure they are not overly focused on your company - avoid the dreaded "Me, Me, Me" syndrome.
Everyone is looking for easy, inexpensive opportunities to market their businesses, especially during a recession. Staying within a modest marketing budget while still diversifying your strategies and succeeding at reaching new clients and customers is a constant process that requires a lot of trial and error to get just right, but can be very successful if you stay focused on your target audience and your unique expertise.
Client Spotlight: Skin PS
Congratulations to our client SkinPS, in holding their first successful seminar at their beautiful new office located in Upland.
The seminar on advances in skin care and the brand new Zerona Body contouring laser was presented to a packed house!
The seminar was marketed through a series of e-blasts, press releases and traditional word of mouth…so no advertising dollars were needed.
Skin Physicians & Surgeons is a family of dermatologists serving the Inland Empire for over 30 years. They offer cosmetic and dermatology services, including specializing in Mohs Skin Cancer Treatment.
We are excited to be on board as their full-service agency, and are in the process of developing collateral materials, website updates, a marketing, advertising and PR plan, and re-branding efforts, which will include colorful new photography! Visit SkinPS.com and keep an eye (and ear) out for some exciting changes..
Tips for non-profits...get your message across to the community
It's not too often we get the chance to write public service announcement (PSA) for clients or charity projects, but recently we helped local non-profit West End Animal Shelter get the word out. Our goal was to write and submit more informational PSA's for them, on a wide range of services the shelter offers such as importance of spay and neuter, low-cost vaccination extended clinic dates, importance of micro-chips among others.
PSA's are generally a "commercial" for worthwhile causes for strictly non-profit organizations that broadcaster's air free of charge. They run different lengths and are usually read by an announcer or personality which keeps radio production costs at a minimum. For television, a professionally produced spot is something that is required, so there is a budget and production costs to consider, but well worth it for a chance at free exposure and community outreach for your non-profit.
Consider these word-count tips when writing:
- 10 second spot = approximately 20 words
- 20 second spot = approximately 50 words
- 30 second spot = approximately 75 words
- 60 second spot = approximately 150 words
Make every word count, so write, edit, re-write, re-edit until you've created interest in your message or story and will motivate listeners or viewers to respond to your message, or to gain insight, empathy, and understanding. Be clear on what your objectives are and make sure to list all the pertinent facts in order of importance, and do so with a friendly, natural flow.
PSA's have lead time, so plan ahead and make sure it's directed to the appropriate public service director. Visit the website of the networks or stations you want to approach, and find out their policies, procedures and requirements and follow very carefully.
Most likely you'll need to provide:
- proof of your nonprofit status
- A script of the PSA you want the announcer to read Tape: (for radio): 7-1/2 inches per second
- Film: 16mm sound on film, optical track
- Video Tape: 1" or 2" high band color
- Letter outlining the mission of your non-profit
For more information visit the Southern California Broadcaster’s Association
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If you've read a great book, email the book title and author to us at: info@perryadvertising.com
For more information, please call 909-945-9500 or visit www.perryadvertising.com
Palmae Business Center
9431 Haven Avenue, Suite 208
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
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